Top-Pick
Bog Water — Beau's All Natural Brewing
I'm actually very shocked I don't have a review of this one. Beau's has been making their winter-seasonal, Bog Water, for at least a few years. It's a beer I look forward to each year, and yet, no review. So let's start …
BNL Strong Beer — Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
*** Update*** On release, this beer was called "BNL Imperial Stout". I've left the name in the title for continuity, but it's the same beer. I grew up in Scarborough, which probably isn't as bad as you think if you're …
Hops and Bolts IPL — Mad and Noisy Brewing (Creemore Springs)
Fact: there is a lot of blustering going on right now in the craft beer scene in Toronto, about what is, exactly, "craft beer". I won't enter that debate here (though I promise I will elsewhere soon). There are sort of …
Altbier — Creemore Springs Brewery
25 years in business — any business — is cause for celebration. True, there are breweries in Europe that date back more than a century, but only Europeans pull that "thing X is better in Europe" nonsense. In craft …
3 Minutes To Midnight (Hellwoods on Sour Cherries) — Bellwoods Brewery
Oh my oh dear. Is there anything Bellwoods makes that doesn't turn to solid gold? Yes, those things that turn to platinum. If you like beer, and you haven't experienced a beer from Bellwoods, stop reading this very …
DeuS (Brut des Flanders) — Bosteels Brewery
Quick, think of a beer that has really small bubbles. Like, micro-bubbles. With me? Yeah, I thought so. I knew you would know about DeuS (Brut des Flanders) from the epic Bosteels Brewery in Belgium. Indeed, long before …
Tempest Imperial Stout — Whiskey Barrel Aged — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Perhaps this will come as news to you, but aging beers in oak barrels is kind of a big deal. True, you probably won't see a Maker's Mark aged Lite Lime Lager in this lifetime (thank God), but more and more breweries are …
Tempest Imperial Stout 2011/2012 — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Today was Amsterdam day, in Amsterdam week. I was able to check out the space that the new brewpub will be in, visit the new brewery in Leaside and hang around with some of my favourite brewers. More on all that tomorrow …
Sleeping Giant — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
I'm celebrating all this week with Amsterdam Brewing Co, who have now officially moved in to their new premises, in Leaside. If you had ever been to their brewery at 21 Bathurst, you knew it was simply a matter of time …
Pan-Ontario Whiskey Barrel Aged — Beau's, Flying Monkeys, Grand River, Great Lakes and Wellington
Phew, long enough title? So Pan-Ontario is actually a bottle from OCB Week, and I beer I drank at Session, but I got a bottle of it last time I was by Great Lakes. A blended beer organized and aged by Beau's, to …
Farmhouse Ale - Amsterdam Brewing Co & Great Lakes Brewery
As anybody involved knows, the spirit within any city's craft beer scene is at least friendly, if not downright sexual. In addition to the stories of one brewer giving another a leg-up, the brewery staff have a tendency …
Burley Barley Wine 2008 — Phillips Brewing Co.
Okay, many apologies. You're not finding this one at the LCBO. I'm not even sure how available it is in BC, to be honest. But it's still BC Beer Week here, and I'm pretty stoked about this review. It's a bottle of Burley …
Ginger Beer - Phillips Brewing Co.
BC beer week continues here on the blog (it's BC beer week, if you missed it). Next up in line is another one of the better known micros from BC, Phillips Brewing Co. Keep6 Imports has brought a few Phillips products …
No Chance With Miranda Saison - Great Lakes Brewing
So this is one of those beers. You can't really buy it. Except when you can. But not just anywhere. In fact, almost nowhere. Let me clarify: When you can buy it, generally it's available in bottles at the brewery (Royal …
Rye Pale Ale - Cameron's Brewing Company
So, if you're following along, you might already know this, but indulge me. Rye Pale Ales are kind of a big deal. Like, maybe not quite the Merlot of the 2012 beer world, but maybe. Time will tell. The good news is, I've …
Spirit Tree Wassail
I know, right? Another cider from Spirit Tree? These guys are honestly doing so much for the craft cider market in Ontario. I was able to sit down with Thomas, co-founder of Spirit Tree, to get to sample some of their …
Spirit Tree Perry
Okay, I'm not going to lie, Spirit Tree Perry might well be my awesome discovery from Cider Week. I had enjoyed their Pub Style Cider before, and knew it was lovely, but this Perry came out of nowhere on me. Anyways, …
Pub Style Cider - Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
So one of the common complaints by Brits drinking cider in North America, is that it lacks the pop of their beloved cider from the West Country in England. "Scrumpy" cider is a traditional style of cider from Somerset, …
10 Bitter Years XI - Black Oak Brewing Co.
Every year, in Munster Indiana, there is a migration of sorts. While it doesn't have the drama of David Attenborough narrating the migrations of the Serengeti, it may well be the largest migration of beer geeks in the …
Conductors Craft Ale - Junction Craft Brewing
If you've been following along with the beer scene in Toronto, you will know that there are a bunch of fairly new breweries popping up. Some are bricks and mortar (Bellwoods is now officially open!) and a few are …